Anti-cluster Boxes

July 20, 1986

I WAS interested in the June 15 Taking Note column about centralized mailboxes, or National Distribution and Collection Box Units, commonly known as cluster boxes. George Martin, acting customer service manager for the Orlando post office, says developers are finding the units popular with home buyers. That is not true of myself and my neighbors who have used this system for a few years.

In no development that I have seen are the units ''placed every few houses or so.'' In our development there is one location, forcing an inconvenient stop, which is especially unpleasant in bad weather.

The locked boxes do provide more security, but they are small, and I doubt ours could hold a week or more of mail during our vacation. The boxes also leak during storms. The small size frequently forces a trip to the post office when big envelopes and small parcels must be mailed or delivered. The mail drop-off box is only slightly larger than standard letter size, so large cards and envelopes must be mailed elsewhere. The few larger boxes provided for packages are filled up quickly, especially during holiday seasons.

The biggest inconvenience, however, is misdirected mail, which sometimes happens daily.

I have heard all of these complaints from other homeowners in developments as far away as Lake Poinsett, so I am sure that this is not a local problem. The units are installed before the completion or even sale of most houses in the developments. For those who do have a choice and who would like the added security of these boxes, they will get what they pay for. And they will get more satisfaction with a rented post office box.